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“ What is left of them…” Tibet, September 2005 The Tibetan plateau… its immensity, white mountains, gorgeous canyons. The desert was so intense, that even here, where altitude imposes its own restrictions, we feel blessed.  Plains are so green, a green that we forgot it existed! They are also full of gazelles, wild donkeys, and herds of yaks enjoying the green pastures. Rivers are numerous, cols as well. We make our way in this environment, short of breath because of the 4500 meters altitude. The more we progress, the more we can feel Tibet, the one we read about and didn’t seem to exist anymore. Slowly, we get to meet its warm and colorful people, profoundly religious, who seem to truly respect foreigners who came to support their cause.  Old women come to meet us to say hi: “Tashidelek!” and they keep walking, their praying wheels in hands. We didn’t enter Tibet easily. Today, it is still forbidden for individual travelers to enter the territory (See cycling diaries “in Tibet”). Already, we feel what has astounded so many people around the globe: the religious cult, the customs, the art, but most of all, the Tibetan people who inspire respect and also cause curiosity. Undoubtedly, they are mysterious to us. 
We also feel that Chinese authorities are determined to assimilate the Tibetan population for good. The army is omnipresent, everywhere. The Chinese government seems to use a restraining tactic to assimilate the Tibetan culture, just like they did in Urumqui, the capital of the Xinjiang province. It is hard to understand… 
One thing is sure: Here it is the government and not the people of China who use these imperial methods. 
We will try to relax and regain strength by spending few days in a Monastery and by stopping in a small village on the road to Nepal (the Sikkim border is still closed to foreigners). Until then, we will try to get a taste of “what is left of them”, being truly optimistic, we do believe that what is left of them will be there for a long time… * Tibet was invaded by China in 1950 and the Cultural Revolution, which took place at the end of the 60s, killed more than 1 million Tibetans and caused the destruction of thousands of temples. In 2005, entering Tibet is forbidden to individual tourists and cyclists. A special visa is necessary to enter, and it can only be obtain by a group traveling by motorized coach. There is a find of $50 for illegal intruders and they can be expelled of Tibetan territory. (More details in Cycling diaries, in Tibet).
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